Shower device with shut-off means



Aug. 23, 966 F. H. GOYETTE 3,253,172

SHOWER DEVICE WITH SHUT-OFF MEANS Original Filed Jan. 27, 1964 2Sheets-Sheet 1 HHH EJHHH g 23, 1956 F. H. GOYETTE 3,268,172

SHOWER DEVICE WITH SHUT-OFF MEANS Original Filed Jan. 2'7, 1964 2SheetsSheet 2 United States Patent 1 Claim. (Cl. 239-109) Thisapplication is a division of my prior application Serial No. 340,180,filed Jan. 27, 1964, and relates principally to a shower which includesa nozzle or nozzles particularly adapted for the papermaking industry,especially for modern, high speed machines. These nozzles have normallyclosed orifices with means for automatically opening the orifices underconditions of water pressure. Shower nozzles of the prior art areordinarily continuously open without having shutoff devices integrallyassociated therewith and depend upon a remote valve in the supply pipefor turning the shower on or off. Thus it is seen that the nozzlescannot be turned on and off instantaneously since the valve being at adistance, time elapses between the time the valve is turned on and thearrival of water at the nozzles. 0n the other hand, it is important toconserve water and of course a great deal of water is used and much iswasted in the papermaking industry.

For instance, where the web leaves the Fourdrinier wire and moves ontothe felt of the press part of the machine it sometimes breaks, in whichcase it will follow the wire and wedge between the wire and the firstwire roll, which Wrinkles and damages the wire. It is necessary toprovide means to strip this broke from the wire, and continuouslyoperating showers are utilized which exert a fluid spray on theFourdrinier wire, spraying through this wire to strip the broke. Eventhough a shutoff valve is used for the showers so that they are notcontinuously operated and sensing means is provided to turn the valveon, this has been so slow in the prior art due to the necessity for theshower fluid to travel from the valve to the nozzles, that the broke orpart of it passes the shower before the shower becomes fully operative.

In the present invention sensing means is provided for the sheet as itpasses from the couch roll and the sensing means is connected in such away as to operate an on and otf valve in the supply pipe for the showerpipe, but each nozzle is provided with its own automatically operatingshutoff means which operates to open the individual nozzle immediatelyupon the application of water pressure thereto so that instantaneouslyupon the operation of the single valve in the water supply pipe, theshower pipe being full of water, pressure is exerted on the individualshutoff means for each nozzle, opening the same and causing the showerto operate, so that the shower is operated before the sheet approachesthe shower area even though this should be but a matter of a fraction ofa second.

Other objects of the invention reside in the provision of specific meansfor automatically closing and maintaining in closed condition theindividual nozzles all the while the sheet is continuous, but upon breakof the sheet, water pressure instantaneously causes the nozzles to open.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the end of the Fourdrinierpart and showing the web and the position of the shower as the webpasses from the Fourdrinier part to the press part;

3,268,172 Patented August 23, 1966 'ice FIG. 2 is a view in elevationillustrating the shower pipe and the connections, parts being brokenaway;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section through the novel nozzle showing theshutoff means and showing the nozzle closed;

FIG. 4 is a similar view showing the nozzle open, and

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the nozzle.

In illustrating the invention, the particular nozzles utilized arepreferably self-cleaning but obviously other kinds of nozzle can also beused.

Referring now to FIG. 1 there is shown the Fourdrinier wire at 10. Thiswire is traveling in the direction shown by the arrows in FIG. 1 passingover the couch roll 12 and the wire rolls 14 which are often providedwith doctors such as at 16. The shower pipe is indicated at 18 and aline of nozzles at 20, and it will be seen that the shower or sprayissuing from the shower impinges upon the inner side of the wire andpasses through the wire thus stripping off any broke which may beclinging to the wire.

The stock or sheet is indicated at 22 and this is shown as passing offthe couch roll onto the felt of the first press. The felt is indicatedby the reference numeral 24 and travels in the direction of its arrow,the first press being shown at 26. In the diagram of FIG. 1 there isshown a photoelectric device comprising a source of illumination and aP.E. cell 28 and 30 respectively and this is for the purpose of sensingany break in the sheet 22 as it passes the gap between the couch rolland the felt.

The photoelectric device is arranged to operate a solenoid operatedvalve which is of commercial construction and located in a water supplypipe in the area at 32 thereof, FIG. 2. This valve is a shutoff valveand as long as the sheet 22 is interposed between the lamp 28 and theRE. cell 30 the valve at 32 will stay closed, but upon a break occurringin the sheet 22, the solenoid valve will be energized to open the showerpipe 18 to the pressure of the water in the supply pipe which isindicated at 36 and which may also be provided with a manual shutoffvalve 38.

It will be seen that there is a row of the nozzles 20 evenly spacedalong the shower pipe and in FIG. 2 they are shown as being directedtoward the Fourdrinier wire 10 passing beneath the same. Thus it will beseen that when a break occurs in the sheet 22 instantaneously thesolenoid valve at 32 will be turned on, thus applying pressure to theshower pipe contents and to the shower nozzles themselves. In thisinvention the shower pipe is always full of water as will be explainedhereinafter so that the pressure operated shutoff valves in each nozzleare themselves instantaneously operated to shut off the nozzle when thesolenoid valve 32 is shut off and to open when valve 32 is open.

The details of the shower nozzles themselves are shown in FIGS. 3 to 5.Each nozzle comprises a body portion 40 exteriorly threaded to bethreaded in tapped holes in the wall of the shower pipe, and a nut 42 isutilized to lock the nozzles in position with the orifices of thenozzles as at 44 being located in the desired direction, in this casedownwardly. The self-cleaning mechanism and shower forming means whichis indicated generally at 46 is old and well known and forms noparticular part of the present invention. However, the element 48 is aspray button which has a certain cooperative arrangement with respect tothe lower end 50 of the piston member 52 which is adapted to movelongitudinally in the shower nozzle body 40 creating a spray and alsoproviding for cleaning of the nozzle.

The piston '52 as shown in 'FIG. 3 extends upwardly and terminates in areduced neck or waist portion 54 and a terminal head 56. Between thehead 56 and the main body portion of the piston 52 there is attached agenerally circular diaphragm indicated at 58. This diaphragm is providedwith a spring 60 or the like which normally tends to bring the pistonupwardly in FIG. 3 so that the orifice 62 of the piston abuts a shutoffvalve 64. The shutoff valve 64 is preferably made of plastic, rubber, orsome such material providing a good closing seat for the orifice 62 andmay be held in any way desired across the interior of the body of thenozzle as for instance by means of a pin or the like 66 which has itsends connected in the nozzle body.

In FIG. 3, the nozzle is shown in its closed position where the orifice62 is firmly held against the underside of the valve '64. Although theshower pipe may be full of water, if the valve at 32 is closed, thiswater will not exert enough pressure on the diaphragm to move the piston52 from its FIG. 3 position wherein it is closed to its FIG. 4 positionwherein it is open. However, at the instant that the valve 32 is opened,the water pressure from the supply pipe will be impressed upon all ofthe water in the shower pipe because this pipe is always full. Thispressure is of course transmitted evenly to all of the diaphragms in thevarious nozzles, causing retraction of the various pistons 52 againstthe spring action and allowing .water to flow through the centralportion 68 of each piston '52 and out through the orifices.

Thus when a sheet break occurs between the Fourdrinier wire and thepress part, valve 32 is instantaneously energized and the nozzles areall opened so that the broke is stripped from the Fourdrin-ier wire bythe shower just before the first wire roll is approached, and the brokethus is caused to drop into the pit in the floor and does not travelalong the wire any further than the shower. Immediately however that thesheet is once more intact, the shower nozzles stop as explained and thusit will be seen that a great deal of water is saved which wouldotherwise be wasted when it is not needed. a

It is pointed out that the particular shower herein de scribed is usefulin other places besides on the Fourdrinier wire and the electric eye orsensing apparatus can also be used in other spots along the paperrnakingmachine.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do notwish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than asset forth in the claim, but what I claim is:

A spray nozzle for a pipe comprising a generally cylindrical body with acentral bore therein and therethrough, a counterbore at one end and aspray button adjacent the other end of said central bore, thecounterbored end of the body being attached to the pipe and openthereto,

a tubular cylindrical piston loosely fitted and axially movable withinthe bore and adapted to engage said button at one end to form a sprayvent, said tubular piston having a portion of reduced diameter at theother end thereof, a head formed by said reduced diameter, said headbeing generally in the area of the counterbore,

a generally flexible washer surrounding the reduced portion and engagingthe head, the washer being held in the cylindrical body of thecounterbore, said Washer being resilient and normally holding saidpiston in one position but yielding under pressure allowing motionthereof,

a fixed valve seat arranged at the counterbored end of the shower nozzlebody, the washer normally holding the piston to the valve seat in saidone position so that the nozzle is normally closed, the valve seatoccupying only a portion of the open end of the spray nozzle body,

said washer thereby being accessible to fluid in the pipe at all timesbut displaceable only under conditions of fluid pressure imposed at theopen end of said shower nozzle body causing the piston to move away fromthe valve seat, allowing fluid to flow past the seat and through thepiston to the spray vent, and at the same time causing the piston toengage the button.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 602,074 4/1898Gumtow 239109 2,770,497 11/ 1956 Filluing et a1 239-409 2,954,170 9/1960Goyette et al. 239109 "EVERETT W. KIRBY, Primary Examiner.

